Stamna Greek Taverna
“I only have one that I venture to in Queens NY but now I finally found one that's also good in NJ and BYOB too I may add.”
“Friends ordered the Arni Kokkinisto, Gyros, and Pastichio.”
“Arni Kokkinisto was pretty good, but I actually preferred it at room temperature rather than served cold.”
Stamna Greek Taverna
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Came Saturday and it wasn't crowded at all! We were surprised, my folks and I. We could tell instantly that this is one of those homey family-owned places and we saw the authenticity in that and liked that very much. A very welcoming inner ambiance full of Greek pride welcomes you in, with cute little Greek flags on the walls and little statues of figures from the Orthodox Church. The food portions, of course, were generous (an understatement), and the quality was needless to say, generally flawless. We ordered many appetizers, only qualm I had was that I like my dolmades chilled in the traditional and stuffed with olive oil rice. The dolmades we were served were cooked and hot, filled with an orange rice. Still very tasty, just not my preference. Entrees were spot-on, my folks loved their spanakopita and moussaka. Service was very attentive at first, but then dwindled a lot as customers began to filter out and the staff started to close up shop for the evening and clean tables and stuff. Granted, we came for a late dinner. My mom wasn't crazy about the baklava for dessert, but generally, we loved this place and will be back! There's a liquor store right next door, very convenient since it's BYOB! I bet that place makes tons of business off people eating at this Greek place and the Italian and other restaurants next door who want wine with dinner. Opa!
My family goes to Stamna constantly. So constantly that I have a repertoire of about 4-5 dishes that I know I will get depending on a certain mood. I'm always a fan of the cold dips for an appetizer as well as the grilled octopus. When I'm feeling something light I go for the Thalassina platter which is a grilled mixed seafood platter with calamari, prawns, and octopus, or the Cypriot salad with added grilled calamari. I guess I just can't get enough of their grilled seafood. It's so fresh, tender, and has such a great charred taste. The problem is I always have leftovers! When I'm feeling like something a little heftier I go for the gyro platter, the pastichio, or the Arni Kokkinisto which is lamb braised in tomato sauce with orzo. I especially like to order the orzo in the winter after a long day of skiing. It's a stick to the ribs kind of dish loaded with soft lamb and tons of flavor.
My complaint about Stamna is that it can be sooooooo uneven on so many accounts. They often run out of items, and sometimes my salad has only iceberg lettuce (ew) while other times it has a nice mix. I frequently find the beak, the hard clear part, in the calamari bodies which is easily avoidable. But the most uneven thing can be the service. Sometimes it is GREAT and attentive and friendly and other times it is nonexistent. While I could excuse slow service when they're busy, it also happens on slower nights and often the waiters are just sitting around chatting with each other while never ever making eye contact with you. Stamna just needs a little more consistency and I was be so pleased with it. Nonetheless, the food is so good you will still see me chowing down there although you'll probably also hear me whining about the service.
So happy to have this around the corner from our new house! Their lamb gyro and lemon potatoes are SO good. Their tzatziki is some of the best I've tried, made with Greek yogurt (so it's thick, not runny) and plenty of dill. Salads are good too and they have many varieties. I like that you can add gyro meat or other toppings onto any salad for a healthy option. I also tried the dip sampler, enjoyed the Skordalia (garlic & potato) and Taramosalata (caviar) but didn't love the rest. I wish you could select which 5 dips you want in the sampler.
Portions are large, service is extremely friendly, prices are fair, delivery is fast. I haven't dined in yet but look forward to making Stamna one of our go-to local dining options.
I've been here at least a handful of times and I've never had a bad experience. I usually go with the gyro platter, which is fresh, filling and very reasonably priced at $14. Love the lemon potatoes.
Their baklava is also delicious.
Limited seating up front facing the street, but that's where I recommend sitting. Otherwise, the ambiance is very, very casual.
Parking in the back if you can't get a spot on the street.
BYOB!
I came in here on a Saturday for a late lunch. The place was pretty empty, so we sat up front near the windows. We ordered the Easter lamb special and an order of okra to split. The lamb was good, but the okra was amazing!! Generous portions, plus they give you pita and olives to start.
Everything was really good, service was good, and I got a baklava to go that was delicious. Tons of pistachios. 🙂
Let's just start by saying that I will definitely be back to try more! Once in awhile I get food cravings, actually most of the time I do lol. This past Sunday was for Greek food. I only have one that I venture to in Queens NY but now I finally found one that's also good in NJ and BYOB too I may add. The decor is very nice and clean. It definitely feels like you're in someone's home with the decorations around as well as authentic Greek music playing softly in the background. There is indoor and outdoor seating available. First came complimentary bread drizzled with olive oil and olives on the side. The bf and I started with a small Greek salad a good amount to share with two people no more than that. The salad consisted of cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, olives and feta cheese with a light vinaigrette. For an entree we decided to share the seafood platter that consisted of calamari, shrimp with heads, and octopus all grilled. We chose the lemon potatoes as our side and got an additional side of rice. All of the seafood was grilled very well not overdone at all. It packed a great and just the right amount of smoky flavor and char. The lemon potatoes had just enough citrus flavor and was soft. The rice was just like a any side of rice pilaf or yellow rice. We didn't stop there we finished everything with two American coffees and had galaktoboureko for dessert. Overall a wonderful night with my bf.
Have always wanted to check this place out and finally so glad I did. Came here on Easter and order a ton of food. The waiter was very attentive and patient despite our indecisiveness. We thoroughly enjoyed the plate of pita and olives while waiting for our appetizers – stuffed calamari, salad and tzatziki which comes with extra pita. For our main course, we shared Moussaka and Gyro. We couldn't eat it all although we were tempted. Ended up taking a doggie bag home.
The prices are very reasonable for the quality and portions given. Also the location of the restaurant is easily accessible to the Garden State Parkway and down the street from Brookdale Park on Watchung Ave. One issue I have with Stamna in Bloomfield is that they don't honor the GrubHub coupons that they distribute to their customers. I was given one with our bill and tried using the code that wouldn't take. Although it wasn't expired, when I called the restaurant (multiple times and days) I was unable to get any help from the general staff and the managers weren't present to assist me in making my delivery experience as enjoyable as our dining experience.
I've only had takeout once from here so my review is strictly on the food and it is 5 stars. Everything we ordered (gyro, dips sampler, pita, spanokapita, etc) was all delicious! The real star is the lemon potatoes, really incredible. Check it out!